Meritorious Award – Steven Moore
Written by Leslie A. Bruch for publication in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology
Steven A. Moore started life as a farm kid in rural Northern Indiana. Growing up he worked on the family farm and in his dad’s home construction business while developing his robust work ethic and love of science which would remain with him throughout his career. He married Paula Lawson while they were undergraduate students at Purdue University. This summer will mark their 46th anniversary! They have two children, Benjamin and Rebecca, and one grandchild, Colm.
Dr. Moore is a graduate of Purdue University (1977) and received his MD and PhD degrees from Indiana University School of Medicine (1982). In graduate school he studied experimental diabetic neuropathy under the mentorship of Brian O’Connor, Dick Peterson, and Dave Felton. Attendance at his first AANP meeting in 1979 as a graduate student helped cement Steve’s interest in neuropathology. While there he had the opportunity to meet Drs. Henry Webster, Pasquale (Pat) Cancilla, and Michael Hart, the latter two who were instrumental in furthering his interest in neuropathology and recruiting him to University of Iowa for his training. Steve worked in Dr. Hart’s research lab during AP residency and NP fellowship, learning to isolate and culture microvascular cells and astrocytes. Steve completed his residency and neuropathology fellowship training at the University of Iowa and joined the Department of Pathology faculty in 1986. Dr. Moore’s 40-year tenure at the University of Iowa has been marked by many outstanding achievements and contributions. He has excelled in all three domains of academic medicine: service, education, and research all while practicing the full spectrum of academic neuropathology.
In his early career two of his fellowship mentors, Mike Hart and Bob Schelper, contributed to a foundation in diagnostic neuropathology and provided a fertile environment to pursue research interests. At that time, some of the most exciting work on cerebral microvascular biology (especially the blood-brain barrier) was being done at the University of Iowa. In addition to his work with Dr. Hart, Steve worked extensively with Dr. Art Spector (Department of Biochemistry) who served as a key K08 mentor and collaborator during his early years as a faculty member. In several studies, they characterized the metabolism of bioactive lipids and defined a supportive role for astrocytes to synthesize long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids critical for normal neuronal function.
The mid-1990s proved to be an inflection point in Steve’s career as he began collaborating with Drs. Kevin Campbell and Kathy Mathews and his research focus turned to neuromuscular disease, especially muscular dystrophies. For the past 25-30 years Steve has devoted his intellect, passion, and time to research in, and clinical diagnosis of, muscular dystrophies. These collaborations have resulted in continuous NIH funding of the Iowa Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center (MDSRC) (2005-2025) of which Dr. Moore is a Co-Director. The Iowa MDSRC’s biopsy and cell culture repository is a national resource of biomaterials for neuromuscular disease research. His work has been productive not only in terms of scholarship, but also in moving forward the clinical diagnosis and treatment of muscular dystrophies. Steve has co-authored nearly 200 articles to date with an impressive H-index of 53. One of Steve’s most significant contributions has been the unfolding (yes, protein humor) of the dystroglycan story with the identification and characterization of new dystroglycanopathy genes as well as investigations to better define the role of alpha-dystroglycan in brain and peripheral nerve development. Parallel to his research endeavors, Steve laid the foundation on the clinical diagnostic side for a successful national and international referral service for FSHD molecular genetic testing and muscle pathology at the University of Iowa, becoming a recognized expert in these areas. In fact, Iowa was the first lab in the United States to offer molecular FSHD testing, and Steve continues to sign out these specimens in the molecular pathology laboratory. His involvement in Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinical trial assay development and the processing of clinical trial biopsies began in 2009 and continues to expand today.
Dr. Moore has a strong commitment to academic service. He has been a dedicated member of the AANP since 1985, serving on the Constitution Committee (1990-92), Awards Committee (1996-98), Program Committee (1997-2007) - Chairing the Program Committee from 2004-07, and as President (2010-11). For eleven years, he was a member of the American Board of Pathology Neuropathology Test Development and Advisory Committee. He has served on the editorial boards of Human Pathology, Journal of Lipid Research, Brain Pathology, and Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. For a few years in the mid-1990s, Steve was the Pathology Residency Program Director. He has served on many departmental and institutional committees at Iowa and has been the recipient of multiple teaching and service awards.
For those of us who have had the privilege to count Steve as a colleague and friend we know that he is a man who epitomizes sincerity, kindness, and humility. He is always willing to spend time he does not have to listen, help, or teach. He is the first to volunteer to cover frozen sections, take an extra service week, or do whatever is needed to get things done. While Steve is a very private person and can never be accused of over-sharing or tooting his own horn, over time we have come to learn that he is a man of many talents outside of medicine. He is a gifted pianist/organist and singer and serves in the music ministry for his church, providing the music pretty much weekly since arriving in Iowa in the 1980’s. And while we may have taken the farm-boy out of Indiana, we have not taken the farm out of the boy. Steve lives on an acreage outside of town where his happy place is on his tractor in his garden. Those who work in our department know that when we see Steve pulling his wheeled blue cooler into his office that he has brought garden bounty to share.
Steve is the consummate physician-scientist and the high-standards he holds himself to in all that he does set a high bar for the rest of us. He has a sustained track record of excellence and achievement in academic neuropathology. Dr. Moore’s significant contributions to the discipline of neuropathology, particularly neuromuscular diseases, and to the AANP make him a truly deserving recipient of the 2022 Award for Meritorious Service.
The award presentation is available to view on the AANP website with a membership account here. https://www.pathlms.com/aanp/courses/40192/sections/45896/video_presentations/235831
Korey Lecture
For the 2022 AANP Meeting, Dr. Moore was also invited to give the Korey Lecture. This occurred on Friday afternoon, June 10th. The title of his talk was “Adventures in muscular dystrophy: the DGC, LAMA2, and other sticky relationships.” The lecture is available to view on the AANP website with a membership account here. https://www.pathlms.com/aanp/courses/40192/sections/45896/video_presentations/234971
From the AANP website … the Saul R. Korey Lectureship was established by Dr. Robert D. Terry in honor of Dr. Saul R. Korey, the founder and first Chair of the Department of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Korey's vision of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of neurological diseases by basic and clinical scientists has inspired generations of colleagues and trainees. Dr. Terry, a close collaborator and colleague of Dr. Korey, was the first recipient of the prestigious Potamkin Prize for Pick's and Alzheimer's Disease in 1988, in recognition of his seminal observations of the pathological changes in Alzheimer disease. Dr. Terry generously contributed a portion of the prize funds to endow the Korey Lectureship, to be administered by the American Association of Neuropathologists, with the lecturer to be chosen annually by the President. Dr. Terry has summarized the qualities of the Korey Lecturer, as someone who has "been an active member of the Association...a working Neuropathologist...responsible for diagnostic work as well as teaching and research. The lecture should be aimed at the members of the Association, and the lecturer might well serve as a role model for younger members." The Korey Lecturer, then, is someone who has "done it all" and "done it well".
The first Korey Lecture was delivered at the1989 AANP Meeting; annual lectureships have been awarded each year since except for 1994 when we met with the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists in conjunction with the International Congress of Neuropathology in Toronto. Dr. Moore’s lecture is only the 2nd Korey Lecture on the topic of neuromuscular disease.
An interesting historical note from over 40 years ago, Dr. Moore submitted a draft of one of his first manuscripts on experimental diabetic neuropathology for an essay contest. He received the Saul R. Korey Award - 19th Essay Contest in Neurology for Medical Students, American Academy of Neurology, 1979/1980 academic year.
Preceding the regular AANP Meeting, Drs. Karra Jones and Steve Moore presented a 3-hour symposium entitled “Neuromuscular Pathology: Insights for General and Academic Practice.”
Additional Iowa Neuropathology presentations at the AANP Meeting included an platform abstract by Kimberly Franklin and Marco Hefti, a poster by Jane Persons and Kyle Conway, and a Diagnostic Slide Session (DSS) case by Nicole Becker and Karra Jones. Incoming neuropathology faculty member Katie Eschbacher had a platform abstract and another of the DSS cases. Everyone attending celebrated together at dinner on Friday evening.
